Alabama auto dealers make donation to domestic violence organization: 'We know what it's like to experience need'

Two Sand Mountain, Alabama, auto dealers may be competitors most of the time, but they recently came together to donate a van to a local domestic violence aid organization.

Mark Brickey, general manager and president Sand Mountain Toyota, referred to his faith as part of his motivation in the joint donation. "As Christians, we should work to help take care of those in our community who need it," Brickey told The Sand Mountain Reporter.

Paul Claborn, owner of WholeSaleCars.com, which is headquartered in Albertville, Alabama, agreed and mentioned something else he has in common with Brickey, besides their place in the local auto industry.

"We were both raised by single mothers," Claborn said, according to The Sand Mountain Reporter. "We both know what it is like to experience need."

Claborn and Brickey are both known locally for their efforts to support charities that help mothers and children in need. The van is the second the two have collaborated to donate over the years to the Marshall County Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The older donated van is still running fine. The new van is expected to improve the coalition's ability to transport its clients and residents of Kelley’s Rainbow shelter in Albertville to doctor's appointments, therapy sessions, legal proceedings, work and other places.

"This is great for us," Carla Wood, executive director of Marshall County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, told The Sand Mountain Reporter. "We can’t thank you enough. This means everything to us."

Brickey has been running Sand Mountain Toyota since August 2006, according to LinkedIn.

Claborn is also part of Junior Achievement in Albertville and visits a local middle school to teach a class on financial literacy, according to his dealership's website. Claborn is involved in Kairos Prison Ministry International, a Christian faith-based ministry that addresses the spiritual needs of incarcerated people and their families.

"I just have a heart for the downtrodden, and I think it has a lot to do with the way I was raised," Claborn said, according to WholeSaleCars.com. "I was raised without a dad in a single-parent home. Until I reached about 30, I had no concept of what my mother went through to raise three kids. I have a soft spot in my heart for single moms, too."